Mary as Co-Redeemer

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The title of Co-Redemptrix would be a fantastic title to honor Our Lady with. I was once told that Mary has more appellations than any other Saint, which I would not find hard to believe. As for the theology, it would be important for the faithful (namely myself and the rest of the Church) to have the proper education as to what this states about Our Lady and her role in the Father’s plan. I do not think we should worry about Protestant reactions, however. If we did, then we’d have to soften teachings on Real Presence, Apostolic Succession, and Holy Tradition, which are so integral to our Faith. However, whether or not we as the Church adopt this name for Our Lady is up to the decisions of the Magesterium, not us.

Regardless of it all, I still like to think of her as “Mommy.” 🙂
 
I forget how closely this is tied to Medj. I am NOT a Medj-head, so this has even less interest for me.
 
Howard_Roark said:
I forget how closely this is tied to Medj. I am NOT a Medj-head, so this has even less interest for me.
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This is not a very illuminating comment.

I am certainly not a “Medj-head” (my admittedly limited research on the subject warns me to stay far away from buying into any of the Medjorgorje stuff). But if a significant number of people in my Church are eager for the Church to declare a new infallible doctrine regarding Mary, then yes, I am interested. If the Church is actually considering it (I don’t know if it is) then I would be even more interested.

If you are saying that Medjugorje adherents are a force behind this, why don’t you explain? And even if those who believe in Medjugorje do back this, that would not make discussion of this illegitimate or “beneath” us.
 
Christ enabled Mary’s suffering to be fruitful.

She who gave birth to our Head, must, consequently, give birth to the entire body.

Rev 12:2 And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered

This woman, who IS, the Virgin Mary:
  1. Leaving aside charity towards God, who can contemplate the Immaculate Virgin without feeling moved to fulfill that precept which Christ called peculiarly His own, namely that of loving one another as He loved us? “A great sign,” thus the Apostle St. John describes a vision divinely sent him, appears in the heavens: “A woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars upon her head” (Apoc. xii., 1). Everyone knows that this woman signified the Virgin Mary, the stainless one who brought forth our Head. The Apostle continues: “And, being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered” (Apoc. xii., 2). John therefore saw the Most Holy Mother of God already in eternal happiness, yet travailing in a mysterious childbirth. What birth was it? Surely it was the birth of us who, still in exile, are yet to be generated to the perfect charity of God, and to eternal happiness. And the birth pains show the love and desire with which the Virgin from heaven above watches over us, and strives with unwearying prayer to bring about the fulfillment of the number of the elect.
  1. We are then, it will be seen, very far from attributing to the Mother of God a productive power of grace – a power which belongs to God alone. Yet, since Mary carries it over all in holiness and union with Jesus Christ, and has been associated by Jesus Christ in the work of redemption, she merits for us “de congruo,” in the language of theologians, what Jesus Christ merits for us “de condigno,” and she is the supreme Minister of the distribution of graces. Jesus “sitteth on the right hand of the majesty on high” (Hebrews i. b.). Mary sitteth at the right hand of her Son – a refuge so secure and a help so trusty against all dangers that we have nothing to fear or to despair of under her guidance, her patronage, her protection. (Pius IX. in Bull Ineffabilis).
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS X ON THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

FEBRUARY 2, 1904
papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10imcon.htm
 
bpbasilphx said:
**&The unfortunate thing is that (at least in English) co mean equal
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It’s amazing what a couple of minutes of fact-checking can reveal. From my good friend Merriam-Webster:Main Entry: co- Function: prefix Etymology: Middle English, from Latin, from com-; akin to Old English ge-, perfective and collective prefix, Old Irish com- with 1: with : together : joint : jointly 2: in or to the same degree 3 a: one that is associated in an action with another : fellow : partner b: having a usually lesser share in duty or responsibility : alternate : deputy 4: of, relating to, or constituting the complement of an angle As can be plainly seen, in English, the prefix co- has four meanings, only one of which can be interpreted as meaning equal. Since the Church and Scripture both plainly teach that every knee must be bend to name Jesus Christ, it follows rather nicely that is the one definition of co- which the Church cannot mean when speaking of the Blessed Virgin being Co-Redemptrix.Since definition four related to mathematics, we can rule that one out as well, which leaves only definitions 1 and 3 as being possibly acceptable denotations for the prefix co- in the title Co-Redemptrix.-- Mark L. Chance.
 
In my opinion, Mary can be fittingly referred to as co-Redemptrix, if this term is properly defined. The current popular definition of the term is in error.

Mary’s role should be understood to be a fundamentally different type of role from Christ’s role, as well as a role that is subordinate to Christ. The current popular idea is that her role is subordinate to Christ’s role, but is the same type of role, that of co-redemption; they say that both Mary and Christ do the work of co-redemption. So they have Mary doing the same TYPE of role as God Incarnate. There is a serious doctrinal error implied here, because if Mary can co-redeem in the same manner as Christ, then the Incarnation would not be essential to our salvation.

Some articles on the topic:
catholicplanet.com/mariology.htm
 
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